Marie Stopes clinic opening in Belfast

The following is a press statement from three groups supporting women’s right to abortion:

Irish Pro-Choice Groups welcome news from Belfast

Rally for Choice, Choice Ireland and UCD Pro Choice Society welcome the opening of a Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast which will give women in Ireland a clear route for accessing legal abortion in the region for the first time.

The groups wish to issue a statement of support and solidarity to those who have worked tirelessly for this to happen.

The opening of a Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast will provide women all across Ireland with much easier access to legal abortion, rather than trying to raise the funds to travel to England or further afield. It will be a welcome move for many women in the Republic. It will also provide other much needed services including contraception and STI screening.

We call for the Irish Government to take note of this new positive step and finally legislate for the right of a woman to obtain an abortion when her life is in danger. It is unacceptable that 20 years after women were granted the constitutional right to abortion (when their lives are in danger) that women in Ireland must take a case to the Irish or European courts in order to exercise their rights.

We realise that this is only a small step in the campaign for free, safe and legal abortion, but it is a welcome step in the right direction.